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J.R. Reynolds
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No doubt about it: Virginia could win the Division III national championship. The Cavaliers crushed Marymount University, 129-75, on Friday night, a week after beating another D-III squad, Lehman College, by 92 points.
Of course, since UVa remains in the ACC, a league about 50 notches above those opponents, exhibition games like these probably aren’t too useful. But don’t blame Pete. The NCAA did away with the usual matchups against foreign or semipro traveling squads, citing the potential for abuse, so D-II and D-III opponents are all D-I teams are permitted to play in exhibitions.
And so you end up with matchups like this. Marymount has no player taller than 6-7, while Virginia has five guys who are at least 6-8. The result was a 64-29 advantage on the boards, 10 blocked shots and easy layups all night for the Cavs.
Elton Brown led the way with 23 points and 16 rebounds, including 19 points and 13 boards in the first half. J.R. Reynolds also scored 23 as six Cavaliers finished in double figures.
At times, it seemed like a pickup game. Still, with the season opener a week away, there were several positive signs – and a few disturbing ones – that could be gleaned from what we saw at U-Hall. Such as …
Sean Singletary can play. He didn’t shoot well, missing all five of his 3-pointers, but the freshman point guard finished with 10 assists, eight points, seven rebounds and three turnovers in 24 minutes. Along with T.J. Bannister, who had seven assists and one turnover in 16 minutes, Singletary was dynamic in transition, pushing the tempo. Virginia will be a fast team with those two running the show.
Jason Clark is a force down low. The senior forward made all seven of his shots, including a few dunks, and finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. He had 13 points and six boards in the first exhibition, showing a nice ability to finish around the basket and alter shots on defense.
Defense remains a question mark. The Cavaliers didn’t play good perimeter defense, allowing Marymount to make 11 3-pointers. The Saints also scored inside when Clark was out of the game.
“Offensively we did fine. I thought our rebounding was good,” Gillen said. “But defensively we’ve got to do a better job.”
Devin Smith looks healthy. After undergoing offseason back surgery, the senior forward has made some athletic plays in the preseason. He elevated for an offensive rebound and dunk midway through the first half and also ran the court well, finishing with 18 points in 17 minutes.
Gary Forbes may have his confidence back. As a freshman, the 6-6 swingman struggled in the second half of the season. But he followed a strong outing last week with another good showing Friday, scoring 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
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Elton Brown
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For the most part, the Cavs played hard and played with decent intensity. They didn’t play down to the level of competition.
“Doesn’t matter who we play, we have to play the same way,” Brown said. “No mercy on anybody. If we didn’t play hard and it was close, people would say, ‘They can’t even play with a D-III team.’ We’re supposed to score 100 points. We’re supposed to dominate. I think we gave up too many points, but I think we beat them pretty much the way we should.”
Donte Minter made his first appearance after sitting out most of the preseason with an injured kneecap. He played the final four minutes and was active, to say the least, scoring nine points and grabbing four boards.
The Cavaliers are more athletic than last year, thanks mainly to the addition of Singletary and Adrian Joseph . Singletary’s speed should make a big difference this season. Joseph, a 6-7 forward, may be the best athlete on the team. He has also demonstrated a solid all-around game. Friday he contributed 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
This team can score. OK, so they dropped 120 points on a few D-III teams. Maybe that doesn’t mean much. But the Cavs shot well from outside, they got easy baskets in transition and Brown was unstoppable in the low post. They scored every which way Friday. When Clark’s dunk gave Virginia its 100th and 101st points, there were still 10 minutes to play.
“We’re dangerous on offense. We have a lot of guys who can score,” said Reynolds, who made five 3-pointers. “But we’re not going to have a great season unless we play great defense. That’s our main priority right now.”
